Meeting the Parents
by AxJJ
Summary: A housekeeper is found dead in an expensive suburban house. What will happen when Cameron realizes who she works for? (Originally uploaded on AO3)
1. Chapter 1

Kirsten Clarke was dreaming peacefully when she was woken up by a loud knock at her bedroom door.

"Kirsten, Linus and Cameron are here." Her roommate, Camille, said through the door. "Wakey wakey beauty queen."

Kirsten groaned. The one day she let herself sleep in after a particularly rough stitch and she was woken up for more work. Grumbling, she pulled herself out of bed and walked out into the hallway.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty-are those my boxers?" Cameron asked.

Kirsten hadn't realized that since she stayed over at Cameron's after the first stitch, she hadn't given him his clothing back. She had promised to wash them and return them, but he had assured her that the shirt was too small anyway so there was no rush. She hadn't even realized she had been wearing them.

His question woke her up fully. "Yes. I will give them back later. What do you want?" Kirsten snapped.

"Well, we have a case, and-"

"And these two losers can't go one day without seeing us." Camille cut in.

Linus mirked. "Well," he began.

"Save it." Camille put up her hand to him.

pLinus shut his mouth and stared at his shoes, while Cameron explained. "We have a case, and Maggie wants us in as soon as possible. The sample only has 24 hours."/p

"And Maggie couldn't just call us?" Kirsten yawned.

"She has been. I've been ignoring her calls, since she is the one who gave us the morning off." Camille said.

Cameron sighed and said, "So she sent us over here to get you. So get dressed and be in the car in 10."

Kirsten glared at him. She didn't trust Maggie at all; mostly because she was keeping things about Kirsten's past from her. The director knew more than she was letting on, and Kirsten knew it.

Keeping Cameron's shirt on as a small act of defiance, Kirsten put on a pair of jeans and quickly brushed her hair and teeth and met the others in the living room.

"Ready princess?" Cameron smiled slightly.

"Yeah." She replied coldly, still not happy about being woken up.

"Okay." Cameron said to himself and turned and walked out the door, followed by Linus, Camille, and Kirsten.

The girls sat in the back of Cameron's convertible, while Cameron drove. Linus had yelled shotgun as soon as they walked out the door, because "shotgun doesn't count when you're under a roof". They were listening to some pop radio station and Camille was busy listening to whatever Linus was saying. Kirsten just crossed her arms and stared at the passing buildings.

At the lab, Maggie greeted them right out of the elevator. "Took you long enough! Time is wasting, people! Kirsten, get changed quickly." She handed Cameron a tablet. "Dr. Goodkin will brief you."

Cameron winced at the name. "Yes ma'am."

"Okay, Stretch, here's what we know. Lisa Smith was working as a housekeeper for a rich couple in the suburbs of LA. It's funny, that name seems familiar."

"The case, Cameron." Kirsten said from the changing room.

"Right. The victim was found in one of the bedrooms on the floor next to the bed." Cameron fell silent, and Kirsten guessed that he was scrolling through the photos. She opened the door and emerged in her catsuit./p

"Cameron?" she asked, seeing a look of surprise on his face. "Come on, you've seen me in this before."

"What? No, it's not that, it's this." He held up the tablet to show her. "Lisa Smith worked for Richard and Julia Goodkin. My parents."


	2. Chapter 2

"No wonder the named sounded familiar to you." Kirsten replied. "Did you know her?"

"Only my whole life! She basically raised me while my parents were out at galas or yacht parties. Which was often."

"Cameron, Kirsten!" Maggie called from the lab.

"Coming!" Cameron replied. "Listen, Kirsten, uh, whatever you see in there…"

"Listen. I'm going in, then coming right back out. I don't want to be here longer than I have to be today." Kirsten walked past him and into the lab.

Cameron followed her and went to his station while she climbed into the fish tank.

"How are we looking for a neural sync?" He asked Linus.

"Communications are up and we are a go."

"Everyone?" He asked to the room.

Various stations replied with their confirmations and Cameron finally turned to Kirsten.

"Ready, Stretch?" he asked.

"Let's get this over with." She replied.

"Stitching neural connection in 3, 2, 1…" he pushed in on the machine, and Kirsten was thrown into Lisa Smith's memories.

At first her memories flew by in a whirlwind. She could spot a small Cameron in some of them, but others were completely foreign to her. She couldn't help but smile a little when she saw a bright eyed, fluffy-haired toddler Cameron sitting in his high chair in one of the memories.

"Talk to me, Ace. What's going on?"

"Are you sure you mapped her memories correctly?" She asked.

"Of course, we always map them correctly." Cameron boasted. "Why, what's wrong?" he asked, a bit more worried.

"I'm not in a memory." She replied.

"Not in a memory? What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I'm watching her entire life play out in front of me."

"Linus?" Cameron questioned.

"One second." Linus tapped on his keyboard. "How's that?"

The memories around Kirsten changed into one solid memory. "Better." She said.

Kirsten looked around. It was a bedroom, with a large canopy bed with a red and white comforter that looked incredibly expensive. There was a dresser against the wall, made with a dark wood and it held several jewelry boxes on top that Kirsten assumed that the jewels in there would pay for her tuition.

So this is where Cameron grew up. Expensive bed sheets, priceless jewels, and housekeepers. Kirsten wondered why he never talked about his parents. They obviously cared about him, considering they put him through med school and he had an expensive apartment.

"Talk to me, Ace. What do you see?" Cameron asked through the comm link.

"Jewelry that could pay my tuition and have some left for Camille's." Kirsten replied.

Cameron sighed. "Anything related to the case?"

Kirsten smiled a little. "The room is incredibly clean, so Lisa did her job well."

As Kirsten explored the room, she found no personal effects whatsoever. "Cameron, can you put me back a little farther? The room's empty."

The room changed suddenly. Kirsten was now standing in a grandiose kitchen, with several chefs and wait staff busling around her. Suddenly she saw Lisa walk up from behind her and talk to one of the chefs.

"No, I will not change the order again!" the chef yelled, causing Lisa to stumble back a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, but that's what I was told…"Lisa said nervously.

"I don't care what you were told!" the chef shouted, a strong French accent coming through. "I'm not changing the order!"

"Lisa is arguing with the chef." Kirsten said. "She was told to tell him that the order was changed, but he won't do it."

"Classic Alfonso." Cameron muttered.

"What?" Kirsten asked, still watching Lisa.

"Nothing, never mind." Cameron said quickly.

Kirsten rolled her eyes, even though she knew he couldn't see it. Walking through the busy kitchen, she looked at the food being prepared. Fancy fish, salads, and desserts were being prepared by the busy sous chefs. It was restaurant quality food.

"There seems to be some kind of party going on. The food being prepared is restaurant quality."

Kirsten opened the kitchen door and walked into a grand dining room. The room was twice the size of her and Camille's shared living room, with deep red curtains and a solid oak table that ran almost the entire length of the room. Silver candlesticks and candles sat on the table, even though the crystal chandiler was bright enough to light the room and then some.

"This dining room is bigger than my living room." Kirsten said in wonder.

"Alright, slow poke, time's ticking. You need to figure out something related to the case." Cameron said, slightly annoyed.

"Fine, don't get your panties in a twist, girlfriend ." Kirsten retorted. She could hear Linus chuckling.

Following Lisa, she went into the bedroom where Lisa was killed. It was almost identical to the room in the first memory, except this one had family pictures and some personal effects. Hand cream and an alarm clock sat on one side of the bed, while the other side held only a lamp and a book. Kirsten glanced at the photos on the wall, noticing Lisa staring at one in particular.

"She's in another bedroom." Kirsten said into the earpiece. "This one is used. It has pictures on the wall and items on the nightstand."

Kirsten watched Lisa's face as she stared at the photo. It was one of love and kindness, and she could feel the strong emotional attachment to whomever was in the photo. Walking to stand behind her, Kirsten looked at the photo. It was Cameron and his parents, only Cameron was dressed in a graduation cap and gown and had a huge smile on his face. Kirsten could feel the pride the Lisa was feeling as she looked at the photo.

Suddenly Lisa was hit in the back of the head; the weapon going directly through Kirsten and into her head. Kirsten gasped and turned around. The man was wearing a mask, but he was dressed in a suit and wore an expensive watch and cuff links.

"30 seconds." Linus said.

"Okay cupcake, time to go." Cameron said.

"Not yet." Kirsten said.

She stared at the man's cuff links. They had something engraved on them, but she couldn't quite see it. Her vision was becoming blurry, but she blinked hard and tried to see through it.

"Kirsten, make the bounce!" Cameron yelled into her ear. She ignored him.

"Kirsten!" Cameron yelled louder.

Finally, she got it. S.A. Typing in her name and her code she woke up and sat up, turning and meeting the worried eyes of Cameron and the cold gaze of Maggie.

"Who's up for a dinner murder mystery?" She asked.


	3. Chapter 3

After Kirsten changed back into her clothing, she sat with Maggie, Cameron, Linus, and Camille in the conference room. Maggie was standing in front of the large monitor, only it wasn't turned on.

"Cameron, what can you tell us about this?" Maggie asked.

"About what? My parents?" Cameron asked in disbelief. "Nothing. I barely knew them."

"Really?" Maggie asked, eyes narrowing. "They did pay for your college and your apartment."

"Doesn't mean I knew them very well." He retorted.

"What does Cameron's daddy issues have to do with this case?" Camille asked.

"Our victim worked as a house keeper for Dr. Goodkin's parents." Maggie explained harshly. "So Cameron's daddy issues have _everything_ to do with this case."

Cameron looked from Maggie to Camille in wonder. "I'm right here you know."

"What clues did you pick up in the Stitch?" Maggie asked Kirsten.

"The killer was dressed in a suit and tie, which was party attire. The only thing was, there was no one anywhere except the kitchen staff and Lisa."

"My parents threw parties all the time. Usually until dinner was ready they all stayed in the living area." Cameron said.

"He wore an expensive watch and cuff links with the initials _S.A_." Kirsten said, ignoring Cameron.

"That could be a name or a company. Linus?" Cameron said.

"Already on it." He tapped on his tablet several times.

"Got it. S.A stands for Sampson Attorney, one of the biggest law firms in LA." Linus said after a few moments.

"No way." Camille said, her eyes widening. "Your parents threw parties with the _Sampson's_?"

"Sometimes." Cameron responded.

"How soon can we Stitch back in?" Maggie asked, crossing her arms.

"12 hours." Linus answered.

"Then be back her in 11 hours and 59 minutes."

The team exited the room. Linus went back to his station and began working on the machines to prepare for the next Stitch, and Camille disappeared to find some food.  
"So…"Cameron began, turning to Kirsten.

"So what?" She asked.

"What exactly did you see in there?"

"Nothing, only you in most of the memories. You were very cute when you were little. What happened?" Kirsten tilted her head in fake confusion.

"Very funny." Cameron fake laughed. " But seriously, what else did you see?"

"Don't worry, you were fully clothed in all the memories."

This seemed to relax him marginally. "You don't have very many fun memories with your parents, do you?" Kirsten asked.

"Like I said, I barely knew them. Lisa raised me."  
"Then you should have no problem seeing them again."

"What?" Cameron asked incredously.

"You should have no problem seeing them again. We need to talk to them about the night of the party." Kirsten said, oblivious to his discomfort.

"You're kidding me." Cameron followed her as she started towards the elevator.

"I almost never kid." Kirsten replied. "Are you going to drive me there, or am I going to have to look up where they live online?"

Cameron sighed, defeated. "Fine, I'll take you. But be warned, my mother can be…difficult."

The two pulled up into the Goodkin house 30 minutes later. They were inside a gated community outside of LA, where you normally saw million dollar homes and celebrities.

This home was definitely worth a million dollars. The front yard was beautifully landscaped, with bright green grass and a flower garden with different colored pansies and carnations that ran the length of the front sidewalk. The front door had intricate frosted glass designs on the window, and the wood was a rich brown color.

Cameron looked over at Kirsten. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because…you'll see. Just try and play along."

"Play along?" Kirsten asked, but Cameron was already out of the car and walking towards the door.

When Kirsten caught up with him, the door was already open.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Goodkin." A white haired man in a suit said.

"I told you, call me Cameron."  
Kirsten had the feeling that she should not be here, that this was imposing on a part of Cameron's life she knew was painful.

"Cammy? Is that you?" A woman's voice asked, and soon a woman followed.

"Cammy?" Kirsten asked, a small smirk on her lips.

"Shut up." Cameron hissed. "Mother, how lovely to see you." Cameron said with fake happiness.  
"My boy! You've finally come home. I haven't seen you in ages!" She said dramatically, hugging him.

"It's only been a few months, mother." He replied uneasily.

"And you've brought a girl!" She exclaimed, turning her gaze onto Kirsten.

Kirsten was looking around the broad parlor, only realizing that she was being spoken to when Cameron elbowed her in the side lightly.

"We're here about-" she started, but Cameron interrupted her.

"Why don't we have sit down and have a drink?" Cameron suggested, earning a glare from Kirsten.

"Of course! I want to hear all about you two!" Mrs. Goodkin said excitedly. "I'll get someone to bring us some refreshments."

"What are you doing?" Kirsten asked when his mother turned her back.

"I told you, play along. She doesn't do well with stress. We have to talk to my father."

"We don't have that much time, _Cammy_." Kirsten pointed out.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" He asked, mostly to himself. "Anyway, I'm sure he'll be here soon. Just let me do the talking, please?"

They reached the den , where a maid was already pouring drinks. Cameron sat down on a white couch, and Kirsten started to sit in an empty chair when he suddenly tugged her arm and motioned for her to sit beside him instead of alone. Confused, she did as she was asked, sitting down so close to Cameron she was almost in his lap.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Cameron's mother asked excitedly.

"About a month," Cameron admitted, grabbing Kirsten's hand and holding it. "We haven't really told anyone yet."

Kirsten was completely dumbfounded by the situation. Did this lady seriously think they were dating? She looked down at her hand, which was laying on Cameron's thigh and clasped so tight in his hand she thought it would break. How many times had he done this?

"So, when are you two getting married?"

Cameron nearly spit out his drink. "Mom!" He choked out. "We've only been together for a month! It's _way_ too early to be thinking about marriage."

Kirsten felt her face get hot, and she stared at her lap, unable to look at Cameron or Mrs. Goodkin. Normally she was never this affected by what normally was considered an awkward question. She usually brushed it off and never thought about it again. Why was this time any different?

Suddenly very aware that Cameron was holding her hand, she yanked it away and stood up. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Of course! It's just down the hall and to the left."

Kirsten felt Cameron's eyes on her back as she left the room. Walking down the hall, she easily found the bathroom. Bathrooms were almost always near bedrooms, which was her ultimate goal. Instead of the bathroom door, she opened the next one. It was an empty bedroom, almost exactly like the one Lisa was killed in. She looked around, but there were no pictures or personal items she could identify to confirm that this was the bedroom she was killed in.

Shutting the door, she walked to the next one. It too was empty, but instead of a bedroom it was a study or library. Instead of furthering her search, she guessed it was past time a person used the bathroom and began to return to the den.

When she returned, Cameron was arguing with his mother. They weren't yelling, but it was quite loud.

"Mother, for the last time, I can't!"  
"And why not?" she replied calmly.

Cameron just stared at her, speechless. His mouth hung open slightly, making Kirsten laugh. Cameron's head swung around, his surprised eyes meeting her amused ones.

"Why not what?" Kirsten asked, moving to sit down next to Cameron.

"Why can't you and Cameron come stay with us for a few days? We have plenty of room!"

Kirsten stared at Cameron. Why would they do that? The idea was ridiculous, and there was absolutely no reason for them to do that. Both Cameron and Kirsten lived close enough to come visit had they been an actual couple, but there was still no reason to stay here.

Kirsten was just about to explain this when Cameron spoke over her.

"Fine. Fine, we'll do it. Just not tonight."

Mrs. Goodkin clapped her hands excitedly. "Wonderful!"

Kirsten glared at Cameron. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed in his ear.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do!"

"Well thanks to you panicking, I have to pretend to be your girlfriend even longer."

"You really don't need to say it like that; it's not that bad." Cameron said defensively. "Is it?"

Kirsten sighed and rolled her eyes.

"So, Kirsten, tell me about yourself. What do you do for a living?" Mrs. Goodkin asked, seeming to be oblivious about the argument she and Cameron just had.

"I actually work with Cameron. That's also where we met." Kirsten said.

"So you're also a neuroscientist?"

"Actually I'm going for a doctorate in computer science."

"So you work in the IT department?" she scoffed.

Kirsten was about to explain exactly what computer science entails when the front door opened and shut.

"I'm home!" a man's voice said. Cameron's father.


	4. Chapter 4

"Oh good, Richard's home. Didn't you say you wanted to talk to him?" Mrs. Goodkin asked.

"Please." Kirsten forced the words out.

Cameron put his arm around her tentatively. She tensed up, but quickly relaxed into his touch. His father came into the room, and Cameron removed his arm and stood up to greet him.

"Father," he said stiffly, shaking his hand.

Kirsten thought it was odd that Cameron would shake his hand instead of hug him. She had spent years trying to learn social convention, which meant she watched her 'friends' interact with their parents. None have them ever acted the way Cameron was acting toward his father, even when they complained about them later.

She realized that Mr. Goodkin was holding out his hand. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed. Quickly she took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Kirsten Clark, nice to meet you." She tried to smile convincingly.

"Richard Goodkin. I hear you wanted to speak to me?"

"About the mur-"

"Why don't we talk in my office?" He interrupted.

She was started to get annoyed at how no one was letting her finish a sentence.

Standing up, she followed him and Cameron into a room off the main hallway, the same room she had found when she was exploring. It was neat and tidy, which explained why she mistook it for an empty library. Mr. Goodkin sat down at his desk and looked at the pair expectantly.

"Tell us about what happened to Lisa." Kirsten said bluntly.

"I don't know. I was downstairs, entertaining."

"No one had arrived when Lisa was killed. I didn't see or hear anyone."  
"How would you know?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Cameron stepped in. "We talked to the kitchen staff."

"Well, they lied, because we had guests in the living area." He replied, leaning back in the large leather chair.

"Who had access to the room where Lisa was killed?" Kirsten asked.

"No one to my knowledge. Of course, my wife and I and any other maid, but none of the guests."

"The person who killed Lisa was wearing a suit with cufflinks that had the initials S.A. Sampson Attorney."

"They are close associates of mine. I run a manufacturing company, and Jason Sampson consults with me about new deals."

Kirsten thought for a moment. They would need to talk to Jason Sampson eventually. She turned and began to leave, deciding that they probably still had time to go over to his office before they needed to be back at the lab.

"Where is she going?" she heard Mr. Goodkin ask, but she didn't stop. She was on a mission.

"Who knows." Cameron sighed, then she heard his footsteps come up behind her.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"To talk to Jason Sampson." She said like it was obvious. "He can't tell us anything else."

They walked out to the car after waving goodbye to Mrs. Goodkin and an empty promise to visit sometime and stay the night. They sat in silence for several minutes.

"Why don't you and your father get along?"

"What?"

"Normal people don't shake their father's hand when they see them. Why don't you get along?"

He sighed. "He doesn't exactly approve of my work."

"You have a PhD in Neuroscience and work for a top secret government program."

"He wanted me to take over his business in manufacturing. 'A family business' he said."

"And you wanted to be a scientist."

"He never understood my love of science. Ever since I was little he would take me to business meetings so I could learn what to do when I grew up. I never paid attention. After a while he gave up, dumping me with Lisa while he and mom went out to parties and meetings."

Kirsten looked at him for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "I'm sorry."

"Wow, that's new." He said, smiling and glancing at her. "It's fine. We just never saw eye to eye, and mom followed his every move."

They rode in silence after that until they reached the Sampson Attorney office. The building was huge, at least 20 stories with intricate landscaping.

They went into the building, where a cheery secretary greeted them.

"Hello and welcome to Sampson Attorney! Do you have an appointment?"

"Uh, we were hoping you could squeeze us in somewhere?" Cameron said nervously.

The secretary frowned. "Sorry, I can't let you in without an appointment."

Kirsten saw the elevator doors opening. She slipped in, neither Cameron or the secretary noticing until the doors were shutting.

"Hey, you can't go in there!"

Kirsten ignored them. The elevator was full of people, and she could feel the breathing of the people next to her.

"So, what's a pretty thing like you getting a divorce for?" a man asked her.

At first Kirsten ignored him, but then she realized that he probably knew what floor to go to.

"Do you know what floor Jason Sampson's on? The secretary told me, but I seem to have forgotten." She asked with fake sincerity.

Thankfully he took the bait. "Floor 17." He replied, then took out a small business card. "Here's my card, call me when you settle the divorce." He winked.

Kirsten rolled her eyes, but looked at the card. He was a real estate agent. The doors opened for floor 12, and nearly half of the people got off, including the real estate agent. It was only a few more minutes until Kirsten arrived at her floor.

She looked at the directory and quickly found the office. Knocking at the door, she found it open. Poking her head in, she found Jason Sampson on the floor in a pool of his own blood.


	5. Chapter 5

It didn't take long for security to make their way up to the office. She called them as soon as she found no pulse, and three large men were followed by a _very_ angry Cameron. He was glaring at her, with his arms crossed.

"What were you thinking?" he almost yelled.

"They weren't going to let us in, so I made a way in." She replied.

"Maggie is going to kill us," he said, exasperated. "Now we have two people to work with."

"Well, Jason has much longer than Lisa. There's plenty of time."

A police officer walked up to them. "Miss, we need you to come with us."

"Why?" she asked.

"She didn't do anything." Cameron said, a nervous edge to his voice.

"We just need to ask you a few questions."

"Then you can ask them here." A familiar voice said behind the officer.

"Detective Fisher, how nice of you to join us." Kirsten replied, secretly relieved.

Thankfully the officer left them alone, letting Fisher ask questions.

"What exactly were you doing here?"

"Investigating the death of Lisa Smith."

"And I see you dragged Nerd Guy here with you." He said, smirking to himself.

"It's Cameron." He said, annoyed.

"And did you see anyone come out of this office when you came up?" he asked Kirsten, ignoring Cameron.

"No. The door was also open when I went up to it."

Fisher scribbled something down on his notepad. "Okay, you're free to go. But don't leave town." He turned and went back to the crime scene.

"We should probably leave." Kirsten stated.

"Oh, you think?" Cameron said angrily.

They walked out to the car. Kirsten was thinking over today's events. So far they had a serial killer and no possible leads to the killer. She was quiet the entire ride to Cameron's apartment.

They ordered Chinese food and sat down to look through the files of their victims. Kirsten was completely focused on the computer in front of her, showing the pictures of both victims.

"So, Lisa was a housekeeper, and Jason was a high end lawyer." She said aloud.

"They had absolutely nothing in common, except my parents." Cameron noted. "They didn't even know each other."

"Are you sure they didn't know each other?" Kirsten said after a few moments. "Jason probably came over often, maybe they saw each other."

Cameron scoffed. "People like that don't talk to the 'help'."

Kirsten's eyebrows furrowed. She focused on the pictures of the victims, studying the grotesque head wounds each suffered. Jason had considerably less damage than Lisa, probably because he was bigger and stronger than Lisa.

Zooming in, she looked at Jason's cufflinks. They had the same initials on them. Closing her eyes, she fell back into the Stitch. She saw a broad shouldered man come up behind Lisa, and a flash of gold cufflinks and the initials S.A. There was little doubt that Jason killed Lisa, but then who had killed Jason?

She was shaken out of the memory by the doorbell. Cameron had already gotten up to get it.

"Janice, hi, uh…" she heard Cameron's voice.

A sudden bang made Kirsten stand up. It wasn't long before she saw Cameron being pushed backwards by a girl in a tank top, presumably Janice. She was clutching his shirt front, kissing him.

Kirsten was so overcome by different emotions she also fell down. Confusion, which was easily identifiable. Anger, since she was just coming in uninvited during a case, but also for another reason she couldn't put her finger on. There was also a feeling in her stomach she couldn't identify either. It was incredibly frustrating.

The two had stopped kissing, and Cameron was frantically trying to understand what just happened.

"Who the _hell_ is she?" Janice yelled at Cameron. "Is she your girlfriend?" then she slapped him.

Kirsten held in a laugh at watching Cameron's eyes grow wide and his hand rub at his jaw. "No! She's not my girlfriend. And do you really have to keep hitting me?"

"She's obviously not 'nobody' like you said last time!"

"Hi, I'm Kirsten." She said, deciding to end Cameron's pain. "I work with him."

Janice put on a smile. "Hi, I'm Janice. I live across the street."

"I know, I saw you."

"So _you_ were the one spying on me!" she shouted.

Kirsten decided she didn't like Janice. She was always yelling and lashing out.

"It was for a good cause." She said simply.

"So, Janice, would you like something to drink?" Cameron asked, still rubbing his jaw.

Janice just whirled around and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

They both stared at the door. "Well that was odd." Cameron said.

Kirsten shrugged. She was glad Janice was gone. Sitting back down, she tried to refocus on the pictures, but she just couldn't.

"What's up, Buttercup?" Cameron asked, noticing her restlessness.

Kirsten hesitated. What was wrong with her? Watching Janice kissing him was messing with her mind. Why did she even care? They were coworkers. Friends, even, if their strange relationship could be called friendship.

"Are we friends?" she asked, not looking at him.

"Sure. I mean, if you'd like to be." He replied.

Kirsten pondered his response. She never made friends when she was in school. Now she had Camille, Cameron, and Linus, although she didn't know Linus that well. Three friends.

"Talk to me Stretch. What's wrong? Janice is just that girl you spied on."

"I know who she is." She replied harshly.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Well, when you figure it out, I'll be here."


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, they were back in the lab. The files had come up empty of anything useful. Kirsten changed into her cat suit and climbed into the fish tank.

"Are we a go for stitch neuro-sync?"

Kirsten closed her eyes, listening to the various stations repeating 'yes'. She tried to clear her mind in order to prepare for the stitch.

"Alright Ace, good luck in there." She heard Cameron's voice in her ear.

A few seconds later, she was thrown into the mind of Lisa Smith once again. The memories were more stable now, and she found herself in an elegant study, much like the one Richard Goodkin used.

"What do you see?" Cameron asked through the comm. Link.

"She's in a study."

Looking at the desk, she found that she wasn't alone. Lisa was busy dusting the already spotless bookshelves, trying to ignore the man speaking to her.

"Lisa, we have to do something about this." The man was saying.

Kirsten struggled to see the man's face, but Lisa's back was turned, so the picture was distorted. She felt like Lisa was close to him, but she was overcome by disgust for the man also.

"There's a man in here, talking to Lisa. He wants to do something about something."

"About what?" Cameron asked.

"If I knew, I'd tell you." She snapped.

While Cameron mumbled an apology, Kirsten moved closer to the mystery man. He was in a suit, but his features were distorted. Lisa kept her back turned, as if she didn't want to see whoever sat in the chair.

"It was a mistake," Lisa spat out, and Kirsten could feel the anger flow through her.

"Something between Lisa and the man happened. She says it was a mistake." Kirsten said into the earpiece.

"Lisa, nothing that happened was a mistake." The man got up and moved to put his hand on Lisa's waist.

Finally, Lisa turned around to face the man. It was Jason Sampson.

"How old was Lisa?" Kirsten asked.

A few moments later, Cameron replied. "38. Why?"

Kirsten didn't respond immediately. Jason's expression was close to the one Cameron gave her when he was worried she'd do something stupid. Lisa was still angry, but the feeling was quickly melting away into something else.

"What will your father say?" Lisa asked softly.

"Who cares? It's my life, and I'll do what I want with it!" Jason replied, his tone morphing into one of anger.

"Alright Stretch, 45 seconds on the clock. What's happening?"

"Hold on." Kirsten said quietly into the earpiece.

Lisa and Jason were talking softly. "Jason, you don't understand."

"Then help me." He replied, taking her hand.

Kirsten was overcome with emotion when Jason touched Lisa's hand. Lisa obviously loved Jason, but a cloud of doubt was in the back of her mind.

"Kirsten, get out of there!" Cameron shouted through the ear piece.

Realizing he had been talking the entire time that Lisa and Jason were, she quickly typed out her exit pin code and made the bounce.

Cameron was already by the fishtank. "Do you even realize how close you were to being stuck in there?" he yelled.

"No?" she asked breathlessly.

Cameron just shook his head. "What did you see?"

"Lisa was sleeping with Jason Sampson. She was worried his dad wouldn't approve of their relationship."

"Jason's dad owns Sampson Attorney. His name is Lee Sampson." Camille said from behind Linus's station.

"Then that's where we look next." Kirsten stated simply, then climbed out of the tank.

After Kirsten dried off and changed, she joined Cameron, Camille, Linus, and Maggie in the conference room.

"Lee Sampson is the typical rich person. He lived large, and he held his son to high standards. If he found out that Jason was screwing Lisa, he would've been disowned." Camille said, scanning her tablet.

Cameron winced at her choice of words. Kirsten just nodded. "Lisa was concerned about what Jason's father would say."

"I'll send Fisher to talk to him." Maggie said, glaring at Kirsten. "You are to go nowhere near him."

Kirsten just shrugged. "Fine."

Maggie dismissed them, and Kirsten grabbed her bag and started for the door.

"Hey, Kirsten." Cameron said from behind her.

It struck her as odd that he had used her name, not some stupid nickname he came up with. "What?" she asked, turning around.

"So…my parents are having a party. Their usual grand party, with dinner and stuff." He was stumbling over his words.

"And?" she asked, wishing he'd just get to the point. It had been a long day.

"Well…my mom still thinks we're dating."

"And you want me to go to the party with you." She deadpanned.

"Yeah." He said, avoiding her eyes.

She wanted to say no, that she couldn't, or wouldn't, go. But the look on his face was desperate, so she had no choice.

"Fine."


	7. Chapter 7

That Friday, Cameron was picking her up for his parent's party. As soon as she told Camille, she had lost all control of what she was wearing to the party.

"I still can't believe you agreed to go!" Camille said for the third time that night.

"Yeah, me either." She replied distantly, staring into the mirror.

Camille was still working on her hair. It was supposed to be curls, but Kirsten's silky blonde hair wouldn't hold it, so instead, it was rolling waves.

She couldn't remember the last time she had ever wore this much makeup, unless the rave counted. But this was different; the rave called for more carefree makeup, while this time it was elegance that they were shooting for.

Cameron picked her up at 8, wearing an incredibly expensive looking suit. Kirsten was wearing a peach colored evening gown with small rhinestones in intricate patterns that reached her ankles. Camille had demanded that they go dress shopping together, because 'if I leave you alone in a mall, you'll come back looking like a nun.'

Kirsten had argued at first, but sometimes even she had to choose her battles. Reluctantly, she had let Camille take her dress shopping. It made for an interesting day to say in the least.

However, whatever Camille did to her worked. Cameron was completely speechless when he saw her. She could hear Camille snicker from behind her.

"Wow…you look…" Cameron was stumbling over his words.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Dr. Goodkin." Kirsten teased.

The name seemed to pull him out of his stupor, and he cleared his throat. "We should probably get going." He said quickly.

"Yeah," Kirsten said, then made her way out to the car.

"Don't have too much fun tonight!" Camille called from behind them.

She did her best to ignore her, and rather focus on not tripping over her long dress and high heels. She kept stumbling, no matter how hard she tried. Luckily, Cameron was right behind her.

"I hate this stupid dress." She snapped as she half tumbled into the car.

Cameron laughed nervously. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this," he said sincerely.

Kirsten looked at him as he sat down in the car. "Let's get going."

Cameron barely spoke while he drove, but Kirsten could see the small glances he stole at her when he thought she wasn't looking. The look in her eyes made her skin burn, but in a good way.

There was already tons of people at the party. If she had been nervous before, she was doubly nervous now. What exactly was she supposed to do? Unlike the rave, she had no suspect to chase or conversation to listen to. She was only here because Cameron asked.

When they pulled up to the front of the house, Cameron handed the valet the keys and hurried to help her out of the car. The cobblestoned drive caught on her heels, so Cameron held out his elbow, which she slipped her arm through.

"Ready, princess?" he asked.

She simply nodded. He led her towards the elegantly decorated house, with perfectly trimmed hedges and cheerful wait staff. As they neared the doors, happy chatter and light music filled her ears. Inside, people were absolutely everywhere. Men in Italian suits stood with champagne classes in hand, wives hanging on their arms. Boisterous laugher was all around.

"You okay, cupcake?" Cameron murmured into her ear, his lips dangerously close to her skin.

She forced herself to nod, the hair raising on the back of her neck. "I've never been to a party like this."

He smiled slightly. "Just try not to wander off, okay?" His breath was still tickling her ear.

They had only been inside for a few moments when Cameron's mother found them. "Cameron!" she exclaimed. "You're here! And you brought your lovely girlfriend!"

Kirsten forced herself to smile. She wondered if it looked as fake as it felt. Cameron, on the other hand, smiled easily.

"Mom," he greeted, pulling away from Kirsten to hug his mother.

"I'm so glad you could join us!" she clasped her hands together.

A man interrupted their conversation. "Mrs. Goodkin, there's someone who wants to speak with you." He said.

"Oh, duty calls." She said to the couple. "We'll catch up later." The man led her away.

Kirsten looked around at the people milling around. Everyone seemed to be happy, and Kirsten felt completely out of place.

"Hey, Stretch, try not to look like I'm holding you at gunpoint." Cameron said, noticing the look on her face.

"Sorry," she said, smoothing out her already impeccable dress. "It feels odd being here without someone to spy on."

"I know," Cameron replied, leading her to an unoccupied couch where they could both sit down. "Just try not to look so scared."

Kirsten stared at her hands. "Okay."

"I'm going to get us some drinks. I'll be back in a few minutes." Cameron said, standing up.

Kirsten watched him disappear into the crowd of people. She could handle this. The nervousness was back, sevenfold. Kirsten Clark could handle many things, but being alone in a crowd of unknown people for long periods was not one of them.

A few minutes later, a gray haired lady sat down next to her.

"Hello," the lady huffed, leaning back into the couch.

"Hello?" she replied, but it was more of a question.

"Jane Sampson," the lady said, sticking out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

Reluctantly, Kirsten shook her hand. "Sampson, as in…"

"Sampson Attorney, yes." Jane replied.

"Kirsten Clark."

"So you came here with the Goodkin's son, right?" Jane asked.

She nodded. "Yes, Cameron invited me."

Jane smiled. "I've known that boy for years. He's lucky to have such a lovely lady in his life."

Kirsten felt herself starting to blush, so she dropped her gaze to her hands again.

"My Lee, he was such a stunning man, way back when." Jane smiled wistfully. "Then we had Jason, and the boy looked just like him." Her voice hitched a bit at the end.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

Kirsten looked through the crowd, searching for Cameron. Where was he? He had promised to be back in a few minutes, and while she didn't know what a few minutes felt like, she definitely felt like she had been talking to Jane for a very long time. Maybe it was because she had absolutely no interest in the conversation whatsoever.

Jane was rambling on about how great of a boy Jason Sampson was, but Kirsten had stopped listening. Instead, she kept her eyes on the people, searching for Cameron.

"Well?" Jane asked, and Kirsten realized that she had asked her a question.

"What?" she asked.

"When are you two going to get married?"


	8. Chapter 8

Kirsten blinked, caught off guard by the question. The look on her face must have said something, because Jane laughed.

"Don't worry, dear, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention." Jane said.

"Oh," Kirsten said, relieved.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" Jane asked, putting her hand gently on Kirsten's shoulder.

"No," she said, shrugging off the hand.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Kirsten was suddenly struck with an idea. "Was Jason seeing anyone before he died?"

Jane looked shocked. "Excuse me?"

"Your son, was he seeing anyone?" she said again, but slower.

"I don't think so, and that's an incredibly rude question!" Jane clasped a hand over her heart.

Kirsten pondered this discovery, when a hand touched her shoulder. Turning her head, standing behind her was Cameron.

"Where exactly have you been?" Kirsten snapped, looking up at him.

"Sorry, I got caught up with some old friends…" Cameron trailed off, looking at the woman next to her.

"Cameron Goodkin, how lovely to see you again!" Jane said with fake enthusiasm.

"Jane," Cameron greeted stiffly.

"I was just talking to your lovely girlfriend." Jane said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, how lovely. Kirsten, there's someone I want you to meet." Cameron said quickly, grabbing her arm and pulling her up from the couch.

He half dragged her away from the couch. She struggled to stay on her feet, the long dress catching on her shoes.

"Do you know who you were talking to?" Cameron asked, an angry look on his face.

"Jane Sampson, wife of Lee Sampson." Kirsten replied defensively. "I knew what I was doing."

"Maggie said that we were not to have any contact with Lee Sampson!"

"Maybe you should get your contacts checked, because that wasn't Lee Sampson." Kirsten snapped.

Cameron sighed, running his hands through his hair. "What did you say to her?"

Kirsten thought back to their conversation. "The only thing relevant to the case was that she didn't know Jason was seeing someone."

"That's it?" he asked, disappointment evident in his voice.

"Well she said some things about you-"

"Okay, okay," Cameron said quickly. "That's enough."

Kirsten couldn't help but smile just a little at his reaction. She was learning a lot about her partner on this case.

"Did you at least get me something to drink?" she asked, looking at his obviously empty hands.

Cameron glared at her. "You don't know what I went through to get back to you, Cinderella."

"And what exactly did you go through?" she asked softly, leaning closer to him.

Cameron looked surprised at her sudden change in tone. "Old friends…from my childhood." He struggled to get the words out.

Kirsten was so close to him she could feel his breath. "Yeah? What did they say?" she whispered.

Cameron didn't answer; he was too busy staring at her lips. Kirsten grinned; watching him squirm was almost too much fun.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He asked softly.

"A little," she admitted.

Neither of them pulled away, but continued staring at each other for a few moments. Then what she assumed to be Cameron's friends interrupted.

"Hey! There you are!" one of them half yelled.

Cameron sighed, then pulled away from her. "Hey, guys," he tried to sound happy.

Kirsten looked over the pack of boys that were now swarming around them. They were all as big as linebackers. She knew the type immediately. Blond hair, blue eyes, football players, the popular kids in high school, but never amounted to anything after they graduated, but rather partied at college while their parent's money bailed them out of being expelled.

"These were your friends?" she asked him quietly as they came over.

"When I was very little and our parents were in business meetings." Cameron explained.

One of them clapped his hand on Cameron's shoulder, almost knocking him over. "This your girl?" he asked, looking Kirsten up and down.

Kirsten was immediately uncomfortable. She knew the type, but she also knew how they acted around females. Apparently these had never grown out of being sexist pigs.

"Yeah." Cameron replied shortly, wrapping his arm around Kirsten's waist and pulling her close to him.

The touch was comforting, albeit distracting. She was aware of every place Cameron was touching her, which was completely down her left side and his hand on her hip. Even when she was teasing him she wasn't actually touching him. She stole a glance at him, and he was standing with his chest puffed out, trying to look intimidating.

"Dude," one of them said, his breath smelling strongly of alcohol. "How'd you manage to get her?" he got up into her face.

"How much did he pay you?" another asked.

"I'll pay you double!"

Kirsten was done playing their games. She pulled away from Cameron, much to his dismay, and promptly slapped the man that was in her face.

"Ow!" he stumbled back, falling into his friends.

Cameron looked concerned, but amusement was lighting up his eyes. "Need I remind you we're in a public place where slapping is incredibly discouraged?" he asked her.

The angry linebacker was holding his jaw. "She hit me!"

"Listen to me. I am not some low class prostitute that you can just hire." Kirsten spat the words, stomping up to the man angrily. "Cameron didn't need to hire a prostitute, because he has some human decency. The only one needing to hire a date is you." She spun around and returned to Cameron, taking his hand and leading him away from them.

Cameron was too shocked to say anything for several moments. Kirsten was still high on adrenaline, and she took a few breaths to calm down.

When she turned around to face him, he was much closer than he had been a moment ago. He ran a hand through her soft blonde hair and pressed his lips gently to hers.

Kirsten was too shocked to do anything. He was kissing her. According to everyone else, this wasn't their first kiss, but their second. She didn't remember the first one. She started kissing him back, moving her hands up to his neck.

"Excuse me, but this is a public party," a voice laughed, interrupting their moment.


	9. Chapter 9

Kirsten tore away from Cameron in an instant. She whipped her head around to look at the person who was interrupting them.

Lee Sampson.

Of all of the people at this party, Lee Sampson was the one who was bothering them. The one person who they were explicitly told to stay away from.

"Lee," Cameron choked out. "How lovely to see you."

Kirsten glanced at Cameron, who wore a worried expression, then to Lee, who had an amused one. She was still reeling from the earlier…event. She didn't want to admit to herself what happened yet. That would mean dealing with the concequences. She forced herself to smile.

"What a lovely girl you have here," Lee was saying, looking at Kirsten. "How long have you two been together?"

Cameron seemed to remember that they were supposed to act like a couple and slipped his arm around her waist. She was hyperaware of everywhere he was touching her. "About a month." Cameron replied stiffly.

"I wish my Jason had found someone before he died." Lee said.

Kirsten narrowed her eyes. Lee didn't know about Jason and Lisa, just like Jane. Interesting, considering that Lisa was largely concerned about how Lee would react. Lee wasn't an imposing man; he had a slim frame and balding head. His suit fit strangely on his body, loose around the arms and shoulders. There's no way he could have the strength to fight Jason, unless he snuck up behind him, which was unlikely.

"So, dear, who are your parents?" Lee asked, looking at Kirsten.

"My parents are dead." She replied bluntly, and Cameron's arm tightened around her.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Lee said softly.

Kirsten smiled again. "I don't remember them." She shrugged.

Cameron looked at Kirsten, a big smile plastered on his face. "Darling, you must be exhausted. I should probably get you home. Camille will be waiting."

Kirsten smiled back at him, but she knew he could see the glare underneath.

"Camille?" Lee asked, curious.

"Oh, she's just my…dog." Kirsten lied. That's one tidbit of information Kirsten would be leaving out when she told Camille about the party.

Cameron was grinning at her, no doubt holding back laughter at her comment. "It was lovely seeing you, Lee."

"And you. It was lovely meeting you…" he trailed off when he realized that he didn't know Kirsten's name.

"Kirsten. Kirsten Clark." She said.

"Well, Miss Clark, I do hope I'll get to see you again in the future." Lee said, then turned and walked away.

Cameron dropped his arm from her waist. "Did you seriously call Camille a dog?" he laughed.

"Don't you dare tell her I said that," Kirsten said, trying to hold back her own laughter. "I'll never hear the end of it."

Cameron put his hands up in mock defense. "Not a word." He laughed.

They were both laughing, even though it wasn't that funny. Perhaps it was just the adrenaline they were both no doubt high on. Kirsten couldn't believe that the night had turned out like this. First dealing with those douches to kissing Cameron…

In a flash, she remembered that she and Cameron had actually kissed. She stopped laughing. Cameron noticed the change immediately.

"Hey, you okay princess?" He asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I think."

"What's on your mind?" he started to head towards the door, since it was time to leave anyway.

Kirsten thought for a moment. What was on her mind? The only thing that was replaying in her mind was their kiss. The feel of his warm lips on hers was all she could think about.

"Nothing," was all she said, and thankfully he let the subject drop.

They waited for the valet to return the car in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, at least Kirsten didn't think so. She was too absorbed in her thoughts about the case and Cameron to notice.

Cameron helped her into the car, then hurried around to the drivers side.

"Hey, Kirsten?" he said once they had made it to the road.

Kirsten turned towards him, slightly shocked that he had used her name. "What?"

"Thank you for doing this. You were great." He said, glancing at her.

Kirsten smiled softly. "It was actually fun. Even the part with your friends."

Cameron visibly cringed. "I'm really sorry about that. They aren't my friends."

"They really thought I was a protistute." She said.

Cameron ran a hand through his hair. "You are beautiful, princess."

Kirsten settled into the seat and continued staring out the window. He thought she was beautiful. The thought made her smile, and her lips tingled with the thought of kissing him again.

It only took a few minutes for the quiet suburban neighborhood to lull her to sleep, her head propped up on her arms on the side of the door.

Cameron glanced at her every few seconds, trying to see if she was really asleep. There was a small smile on her face, and her heels were off on the floor.

He had no idea how to explain himself to her. They had _kissed_. Again. And this time she remembered. Why hadn't she said anything? It was such a rash action. He was mentally beating himself up for it. He should've asked first. Honestly, he was surprised she didn't slap him again.

It had been a great night by his standards, except for the part with his 'friends'. He enjoyed pretending Kirsten was his girlfriend and showing her off to the people at the party. His arms were still buzzing from where he touched her, and his lips were tingling from the kiss. All he wanted to do was kiss her again.

Kirsten stayed asleep the entire way back to her house.

"Hey, Cinderella. Your carriage has arrived," a voice cooed softly in her ear.

Slowly, Kirsten opened her eyes to see Cameron standing over her from outside the door.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily, picking up her head.

"About midnight. Time for your magic carriage to turn back into a pumpkin and your handsome footman to turn back into a lizard."

"A footman? I thought you were my prince." Kirsten said, opening the door and taking his outstretched hand.

Cameron smiled and mock bowed. "My lady," he said in a fake deep voice.

Kirsten rolled her eyes playfully. Cameron straightened and twirled her around in a circle, making her laugh. They were both smiling and laughing like idiots, dancing around like they were in a grand ball in the front yard.

Later on, they both ended up laying on the front lawn on Cameron's suit jacket, looking up at the stars, which were half conceled by the haze of the city. Cameron was pointing out constellations to her, and Kirsten was laying her head on his shoulder.

Cameron was pretty sure he was dreaming. Kirsten was laying her head on him, and he could almost call it cuddling. This could not be real. The entire night was like a dream.

They laid there for about an hour, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Cameron talked about his childhood before the surgery on his heart, and Kirsten talked about meeting Camille and college before academic suspension.

It was almost 1:30 when Kirsten's breathing slowed down and evened out. He laid there for a few more minutes, soaking in how perfect the scene was. Then he stood up and slipped his arms under her head and legs and carried her inside.


	10. Chapter 10

The first thing Kirsten realized when she woke up was that she was still fully clothed in her dress. Her shoes were off, and she was in her bed. How did she get here?

Briefly she remembered last night. The way they had danced in her front yard, how Cameron was pointing out constellations that she already knew the names too, but she just liked to hear him talk. It made her smile.

The kiss. It had changed something in their relationship. She wasn't sure what exactly, but something was different. Part of her wished that she could do it again, and the other part of her wished it had never happened.

Standing up, she slipped out of her dress and left it on the floor. It was still damp from the dew on the grass last night. Instead, she changed into some jeans and a tank top, then brushed her teeth and washed her face.

Camille was already up. "Had a rough night?" she asked.

"Not particularly." Kirsten responded, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Tell me all about it!" Camille said, sounding more like a teenager than an adult.

Kirsten told her everything, including the kiss and the douche bags who had insulted her. She left out the part about dancing and stargazing, and the part where Kirsten called her a dog.

"Sounds like you and Cameron had quite a time together." Camille smiled knowingly.

"Did we make any progress in the case?" Kirsten asked, changing the subject.

"Only what you just told me." Camille said. "So Lee and Jane really didn't know about Jason and Lisa?"

"According to them, he was a loving son who they wished had the chance to meet someone."

"Something sounds wrong about that. You said Lisa was concerned that Lee would find out and be angry."

"She was concerned. I could feel it, and she said it. She was afraid, even."

Camille pondered the new information for a few moments. "Maybe Lee hired a hitman to get rid of Lisa?"

"Lisa was killed by a blow to the head. Some hitman." Kirsten scoffed.

"Maybe it was a body guard? Someone who could be paid off?"

Kirsten was about to answer when her phone went off. It was Cameron.

"Maggie needs u." Was the text.

"Let's go, Maggie needs us." She told Camille.

A little while later, Kirsten and Camille walked into the lab. People were busy running tests and working at their respective stations, and Cameron and Linus greeted them as they walked in.

"Maggie's looking for you." Cameron told Kirsten. "Both of us, actually."

Kirsten met his eyes, only for him to drop his gaze a second later. She followed him up to Maggie's office.

"Since we're all very busy people, I'll cut to the chase." Maggie said as soon as they had both sat down. "You two were given explicit orders to not have any contact with Lee Sampson."

Kirsten cut her eyes to Cameron, giving him a questioning glare. How did she know they had spoken to Lee? What exactly had he said about last night?

"In our defense, he kind of started talking to us first." Cameron tried.

"Right. And what exactly did you say to him?"

"Just normal small talk." Cameron said.

"Lee mentioned that he wished that Jason had found someone before he died." Kirsten interrupted.

"So Lee didn't know about his relationship with Lisa?" Maggie asked, turning to Kirsten.

"Neither did Jane Sampson."

"You spoke with her too?"

Kirsten merely nodded. "She sat down next to me."

Maggie sighed, exasperated. "You two have absolutely no respect for authority."

"None," Kirsten agreed. "Not when that authority is wrong and holding me back."

"I'm not sure I like your tone." Maggie said, meeting the challenge in Kirsten's eyes.

"I'm not sure I like your leadership." Kirsten mocked.

Cameron had been standing behind Kirsten, watching the scene unfold. "We shouldn't have talked to Lee or Jane." He said finally. "But the opportunity presented itself, so we took it."

Maggie turned her glare onto Cameron, who shrunk back at the intensity of her gaze. She looked between the two of them, and finally her gaze softened.

"You two shouldn't have said anything, but since they approached you first, I'll let it slide." She said finally.

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief, but Kirsten was still angry, and he could tell. He touched her shoulder gently, and thankfully she followed him out of the room.

Sometimes Maggie really drove Kirsten up the wall. Maybe it was just her striking issues with authority.

"We can Stitch into Jason, right?" She asked as they walked down the steps to the main area.

As an answer, Cameron looked to Linus, who was sitting at his desk. "How're we looking on the refractory period?"

"We're good to go whenever you two are ready." Linus replied.

"Then I'll see you two in a few minutes." Kirsten said, then headed off to get changed.

Cameron was finishing up the preparations when Kirsten reappeared in her cat suit. She climbed into the tank and prepared herself as Cameron went through his protocols.

"3…2…1…mark."

Suddenly she was thrown into the memories of Jason Sampson. This time she was standing in his office, and he was talking to someone she couldn't see.

"Jason, you have to do something about this!" the person was saying.

Jason had his back turned to the person talking. It was incredibly annoying to be limited by only one perspective.

"What's up buttercup?" Cameron asked.

"We're in his office. He's talking to someone but I can't see who."

"Everyone keeps telling me I need to do something!" Jason said, and Kirsten could tell he was furious.

Jason suddenly turned around and walked right through her, making her shudder. She hated it when they walked through her, even though technically she shouldn't be able to feel anything. Even so, when they did that she could feel it in the back of her mind, like someone gently tickling the back of her neck.

"Maybe I don't want to do something!" Jason was yelling, and she still couldn't see who he was talking too. "Maybe I just want to let things happen! I'm finally happy, why can't you people just leave me alone!"

Jason moved again, and this time she could clearly see the person's face. He looked important, even though she didn't know exactly who he was. He was young and clean cut. Obviously raised in the upper class.

"I'm not sure who this is, but I know what he looks like now. Young, clean cut. His parents look like they have some money." Kirsten said into the earpiece.

"Can you get a name?" Cameron asked.

Kirsten turned her attention back to Jason. "The firm won't lose any money over this." Jason said.

"That's not what I'm concerned about, and you know it." The person said.

"Luke. I'm fine. We're fine." Jason said.

"His name is Luke." Kirsten said into the earpiece. "No last name, but Jason is talking to him about money."

Suddenly the memory changed, and Jason was standing in his kitchen, cooking something. He was only in boxers.

"Kirsten? Where are you?" Cameron's voice sounded worried this time.

"I'm in his…house?"

"No, you can't be. You aren't on the memories we've mapped out at all."

Kirsten watched Jason cook, and she could practically smell eggs.

"Do you smell that?" She asked out loud.

"Smell what?" Came the reply. "Kirsten, where are you?"

Kirsten didn't reply, especially not when a tall blonde suddenly appeared and walked over to the man who was quite obviously not Jason. The girl hugged him from behind and kissed his neck, laughing softly when he turned around to kiss her lips.

She was so shocked at who the couple was that her heart rate spiked enough that Cameron was frantically yelling in her ear.

"Kirsten? Are you okay? What's going on?"

"I'm fine," she said, taking a deep breath. "Nothing's going on."

"You need to bounce soon." He said worriedly. "And you're still not on the map."

Kirsten watched as the couple completely forgot about breakfast, and instead focused on their impromptu make out session. It made no sense. She was in Jason Sampson's mind.

So why was the couple she was seeing her and Cameron?


	11. Chapter 11

"Kirsten, make the bounce!" Cameron yelled from the earpiece.

She rapidly typed in her pass code, and she was pulled from Jason Sampson's mind. Or was it her mind?

Cameron was already next to the fish tank, looking up at her worriedly. "Where were you? You went completely off the map!"

Kirsten studied his face for a moment, remembering what she saw in the Stitch. It wasn't a memory, or a dream. So was it a fantasy? Something her subconscious was trying to tell her?

"Kirsten?" he asked again.

"I'm fine." She replied, surprised by the softness of her own voice.

Slowly, she climbed out of the fish tank and dried off. "What exactly did you see in the Stitch?" Cameron asked.

There was absolutely no way she was telling him what she saw in front of all these people. She didn't even want to tell Cameron what she saw, ever.

"You went off the map completely. Were you still in a memory?"

Kirsten shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I saw things. They were irrelevant to the case."

Cameron shot Linus an annoyed look as if to say 'is she being serious right now?' Kirsten rolled her eyes and started towards the changing room.

She was already halfway there when Cameron grabbed her wrist, making her jump.

"What do you want?" she asked, annoyed that he had pulled her out of her thoughts.

"I want to know what you saw in that Stitch."

Kirsten pursed her lips together. The thought of telling him that she saw them making out was making her stomach do somersaults.

"I wasn't in a memory of Jason's." she said, taking a deep breath. "I think I was in my subconscious."

Cameron let go of her wrist, and she quickly crossed her arms. "What did you see?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she lied. "It was blurry and out of focus."

Even to her that sounded fake, and she struggled to keep her face smooth and emotionless. The look on Cameron's face told her he knew she was lying, but thankfully he dropped the subject.

"Maggie wants us in the conference room when you're finished." Cameron said, then left her alone to change.

When she returned to the group, Maggie was tapping her finger impatiently on the remote for the TV. Camille and Linus were busy on their tablets, and Cameron was staring off into space.

"Glad to see you're still with us." Maggie said when she entered.

"Camille, do we have anything on the man Jason was talking to?" Maggie asked.

A couple of taps, and a file appeared on the TV screen. "Luke Mayfield. He was working for Sampson Attorneys as a sponsor, funding some aspects of the company through his parent's money. He recently finished college, majoring in business." Camille said.

Kirsten studied the face on the screen. It was the same clean, sharp cut young man from the Stitch. "That's him." She confirmed.

"We need to know if he knew about Jason and Lisa." Cameron said.

"They were childhood friends, even though Jason was several years older than Luke." Linus said. "It's possible."

"They were arguing about doing something. Jason didn't want to do anything, but Luke was concerned, just like Lisa." Kirsten said.

"It sounds like we need to find Luke Mayfield." Maggie said. "Good work everyone."

After they were dismissed, Cameron approached her at the elevator. "Want to grab lunch? My treat."

Kirsten looked at him. The thought of being alone with Cameron sounded nice, but it also left room for them to talk about recent events. She wanted to avoid that topic for as long as possible.

"Sure," she replied.

An hour later, they were sitting in his apartment, eating take out on the couch. They had both decided that taking a break from the case would be the best thing right now. Kirsten was eating her rice absentmindedly and staring at the TV.

Suddenly, the TV turned black. She turned and saw Cameron, who was now leaning forward.

"I think there's something we need to talk about." He said, licking his lips.

Kirsten cringed inwardly. This is exactly what she was hoping to avoid.

"We don't need to talk about anything." She said, continuing to eat.

Cameron let out a sigh. "Listen, Stretch, about what happened at the party-"

"Cameron." She cut him off. "It's fine. Just forget about it. It was nothing."

Even as she said the words, she could feel her heart break. She couldn't forget about it, and it certainly wasn't nothing. Especially after the Stitch today.

"Kirsten, you and I both know it wasn't nothing." He said after a period of silence.

Kirsten finally set down her box of food on the coffee table. There was no more avoiding this. She had to be out with it and settle things now.

"Last night was one of the best nights of my life." She admitted, and it was the truth.

Cameron looked surprised. "Really?"

"I enjoyed every part of it. Even your friends." She laughed slightly when he frowned.

"But?" he asked, knowing it was coming.

"But I have no idea where to go from here. I've never felt like this. I've never felt the way you make me feel." She said, the last few words coming out as a whisper.

Cameron moved closer to her and locked their eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, I haven't either." He said softly.

Kirsten stared into his bright green eyes. She remembered the way his lips felt on hers, and the way they had danced around on her front lawn like love struck teenagers. And she remembered the fantasy she saw during the Stitch. Her heart ached. She wanted to wake up to him making her breakfast, wearing one of his shirts that was too big for her and distracting him from doing any actual cooking.

"I…" she squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted this so badly, but she didn't have to words to explain it to him.

When she opened her eyes, he hadn't moved a muscle.

"When I was in the Stitch," she said, taking a deep breath. "I saw us."

"You saw us?" he asked, confusion clouding his face.

"It wasn't a memory. It was different. It hasn't happened…yet."

"What was it? Not another death prophecy, I hope."

"No, it was nothing like that. It was you and I, in the kitchen." She said.

"How did this end up in the Stitch?" he asked.

"I have no idea. One moment I was watching Jason and Luke talking, and the next I was pulled away." She said, struggling to maintain her composure.

"What were we doing?"

There was the magic question. She knew it was coming, there was no way around it.

"You were alone for a while, making breakfast. You were…shirtless." She said, mumbling the last word.

Cameron raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Kirsten continued, but she focused her eyes on her hands in her lap. "Then I came in and-" she stopped and looked him in the eye. "We kissed, Cameron."

There, she had said it. It felt like her heart was going to explode right out of her chest. He was just staring at her, not saying anything. His face was frozen in a state of shock and disbelief.

"Kirsten…" he said softly, making her shudder slightly. "We did kiss, at the party."

She leaned closer to him, letting their foreheads touch. She could smell his cologne faintly. He was intoxicatingly close, and it was making her stomach do somersaults.

He leaned forward too, and their lips were centimeters apart. She could feel his breath on her lips, and she was just about to lean in and close the gap when a shrill ringing interrupted them. Sighing, Cameron pulled away from her and answered his phone.


	12. Chapter 12

Kirsten sighed deeply. Did he have to always answer his phone? She watched as he listened to whoever was on the phone. Their thighs were touching, and Kirsten gently placed her hand on his leg. He tensed under her hand, and for a moment she thought she had done something wrong, but then he relaxed.

"We've got another sample," Cameron said when he hung up. "We can finish this later." He gave her a small smirk.

"Is it related to the Sampson case?" Kirsten asked, getting up off the couch and grabbing her bag.

"Yeah, Maggie said it's important." He replied, grabbing his keys.

Back at the lab, Kirsten suited up and climbed into the fish tank. Their sample was named Marcus Snow, a man who worked closely with both Jason and Luke. He was a financial expert, and Luke was his intern, according to his file.

"I need a go-no go for Stitch neuro sync." Cameron said from his station.

After various 'go's' from each station, he turned his attention to her. "You ready, Cinderella?" he asked.

The nickname made her smile slightly. "Anytime you're ready, Prince Charming." She replied.

"On my mark. 3, 2, 1…mark."

Kirsten was thrown into the consciousness of Marcus roughly. It almost hurt.

"Kirsten? Are you okay?" Cameron asked immediately.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What happened?"

"Don't know. We're working on it. Can you see anything?"

Kirsten looked around. She was in a memory, but some areas were out of focus. The room she was in was in was large, with light blue carpet and floral walls. In a word: ugly.

There was a fireplace, but it was slightly blurry, like she had something in her eye. She blinked rapidly, but it didn't help. There was also a human shaped figure next to it, reading a magazine, but they were out of focus too.

"I'm in a room, but some things are out of focus." She told Cameron.

He hummed slightly, and she heard the tapping on his keyboard.

Suddenly the room changed. It was an office building, and Marcus was sitting behind a large oak desk, talking angrily to someone on the phone.

"I'm in Marcus's office." She told Cameron.

"I'm looking at the files right now, Lee! There are four unaccounted for transactions in the past week! And before that two more!" Marcus yelled.

She could hear shouting from the line on the other side; it was Lee. "I'm not asking you for the moon, Marcus! There should not be any transactions! We're losing money!"

"These transactions are for more than 100,000 dollars each! I can't explain them, but it's your account and you are the only person to have access to the money."

Kirsten moved around to the other side of the desk and looked at the computer with the files. There were multiple spaces that were labeled: Lunch with a Client, advertising, etc. But Marcus was right; there were four spaces that were unlabeled for over 100,000 dollars in the week.

"Lee is missing money," she said into the earpiece. "Marcus can't explain it, but I feel like he suspects Lee knows what it's for. Move me closer to his death."

The room shifted, and she was back in the ugly room like before. This time, it was completely in focus. The fireplace had an intricately carved mantle of dark wood. Marcus was standing near a window in the back, holding a glass of whiskey while looking out into a grassy courtyard.

"I hate lying to you, Marcus." A man's voice said, and Kirsten turned around.

Lee Sampson was sitting in a large office chair behind Marcus. Lee was also holding a glass, but his was mostly empty now.

"We're supposed to be partners, Lee. I need to know where the money went."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Mark. I'd have to kill you." He joked, but something in his face told Kirsten he wasn't completely kidding.

"What am I supposed to tell our partners when they ask where their money is going?"

"Make something up. I trust you'll do the right thing here, Marcus." Lee was clutching his glass so tightly that his knuckles were going white.

"Lee, you know I can't do that. I'm an honest man."

Lee was standing now, but Marcus's back was turned. The glass in Lee's hand was being held so tightly that it was about to break.

"I thought you'd say that." Lee said, his voice at a deadly whisper.

Marcus was turning around when the glass snapped and Lee was holding a large sliver of the crystal like a knife.

"Lee, what-"

Lee shoved the shard of crystal into Marcus's ribcage, effectively cutting off anything he was about to say.

Kirsten flinched, feeling the pain Marcus did. Gasping, she typed in her pincode rapidly and bounced.

After she dried off and changed, they met in the conference room.

"Lee was the one to stab Marcus, but that doesn't explain the murders of Lisa and Jason." Kirsten said.

"There's no way a 60 year old man could've killed Jason with a blunt object. The only reason he got Marcus was because it was a surprise." Camille pointed out.

"Maybe he hired someone to do it?" Linus suggested.

"That would explain the money going missing," Cameron said. "But who did he hire and why?"

Maggie nodded. "I'll call Fisher and tell him to bring in Sampson. Maybe he has something to say about this. Good job, everyone."

They all gathered their things to head home for the night. Kirsten glanced at her phone; 6:45 pm. It wasn't too late.

"I believe we had something to finish, cupcake." Cameron's voice whispered into her ear as they approached the elevator.

Kirsten shuddered slightly, and Camille shot her a questioning glance. Kirsten ignored her, and instead turned to face Cameron.

"Can I have a ride?" she asked casually.

"Of course, want to grab dinner first?" he asked smoothly.

Kirsten nodded and got into the elevator.

"Hey, I'm going over to Linus's place." Camille said in the elevator.

"Okay," She shrugged.

They barely made it to the apartment before she turned to Cameron and grabbed his shirt roughly and brought his lips to hers. He made a noise of surprise, but quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

She had her fists clenching in his shirt, not letting him move an inch. His lips were warm and soft, and his hands were toying with the hem of her shirt in the back. He swiped her lip with his tongue, asking for entrance which she gladly granted.

Without breaking away, he opened the apartment door and pulled her inside, slamming it shut and pinning her against it.

A small part of her wondered if this was real. She hadn't been sure for the longest time that this is what she wanted, but now that it was happening it was all she cared about. Not dead housekeepers or lawyers or a stitch lab, but _Cameron_. This was exactly what she wanted.


	13. Chapter 13

Kirsten woke up first to the buzzing of her phone. She tried to roll over, but the arm around her waist tightened. At first she was confused, but it all came rushing back. Her and Cameron, last night. She was at his place.

"Cam," she mumbled tiredly. "The phone's ringing."

"Don't care." He muttered, pulling her closer.

"What if it's the lab?"

He groaned but didn't let her go. Kirsten desperately wanted to stay in bed with him all day, and for a moment she snuggled back into his chest, her fingers gently tracing the scar there.

The phone buzzed again, but this time it was on Cameron's side of the bed.

"Answer it." She sighed.

Cameron reached over and blindly grabbed the phone and pressed answer.

"Hello?" he mumbled.

"Cameron! Bro, where've you been? We've been trying to call you and Kirsten all morning! "

Cameron finally opened his eyes to find Kirsten looking up at him. "What's up, Linus?"

"Fisher's bringing in Lee Sampson today and Maggie wants you two in the lab in…well 5 minutes now. It was supposed to be 10:30."

"What?" he asked, fully awake now. He looked at the alarm clock. 10:25. "We'll be there soon."

"Soon isn't-" Cameron hit 'end call' before Linus could finish.

"What's wrong?" Kirsten asked.

"We need to go to the lab. Fisher is bringing in Lee Sampson and Maggie wants us there in 5 minutes."

Kirsten dragged herself out of bed, already missing the warmth of Cameron next to her. She grabbed her phone. 15 text messages and 5 missed calls from Camille. She unlocked her phone and called Camille back.

"Kirsten Clark! Where have you been? I've been trying to call you all morning!" Camille yelled immediately.

"Good morning to you too," Kirsten yawned. "I spent the night at Cameron's."

"A heads up would've been nice! I don't care what you do with your boyfriend, but when you don't come home it becomes my problem."

Kirsten sighed. "He's not my boyfriend, Camille. We were working on the case and I fell asleep. It was late, so I just stayed."

"Yeah, right. Just get over here." Camille hung up.

Kirsten gathered her clothes off the floor while Cameron dug through his closet.

"Not your boyfriend, huh?" Cameron asked. "So last night was a one time thing?" Kirsten could tell he was trying to sound nonchalant, but it wasn't working.

"Cameron, do we really have to talk about this right now?" she asked, putting on her jeans.

He shrugged and started to walk past her, but she placed a hand on his chest and stopped him.

"I hardly count sex as a first date, Cameron." She said, placing a small kiss on his lips.

He smiled into the kiss. "Then would you like to have dinner sometime?" he asked.

"I would love to."

Maggie was not happy that they were almost a half hour late, even though Cameron was speeding. They had to stop by Kirsten's house so she could change clothes, but Maggie wasn't taking excuses.

Fisher had already started interrogating Lee Sampson. The elderly man was sweating heavily; obviously in distress.

"Why did you kill Marcus Snow?" Fisher asked, sitting in the metal chair across from Sampson.

"I didn't!" he exclaimed, obviously feigning surprise.

"Then how did Marcus end up dead after a meeting with you?"

"I have no idea! I didn't have anything to do with it."  
"Then what's the missing money for?"

"Missing money? How do you know about that?" Lee asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "I didn't give you permission to go through my computer!"

"When you're a murder suspect, you don't have to give permission."

"I want a lawyer."

Fisher stood and looked back through the glass, giving Kirsten and Cameron a 'do you see this?' look. He left the interrogation room and joined them in the observation room.

"He's not talking, but we do know he knows about the missing money."

"Let me talk to him." Kirsten said, crossing her arms.

"No way." Cameron and Fisher said at the same time.

"Why not?" she asked, giving Cameron a steely glare. "I know everything about Marcus's murder."

"He saw you at the party. What would he think if he saw you here, interrogating him?"

"He doesn't know what I do for a living."

"There's still no way I'm letting you go in that room." Fisher said. "It's illegal, for one thing."

Kirsten glared at him. He was right, and she knew it and didn't care.

"I'll talk to him again when his lawyer's here. In the mean time, maybe you should go home and clean up?" he smirked and left the room.

"What?" she asked, turning to Cameron, who was staring at her.

"Ah, cupcake? You may have…" he pointed to his neck.

Kirsten rushed over to the one way glass and scanned her neck. Sure enough, a dark purple bruise had blossomed on the middle of her neck.

" _Cameron Goodkin,_ " she yelled, spinning around to face him. " _Why didn't you tell me sooner?"_

He threw his hands up in defense, but he couldn't stop the sly smile spreading across his lips. "I'm sorry, princess, but I can honestly say that that's not where I was looking all morning."

Kirsten narrowed her eyes at him, her face hot with a blush. "Call me when Fisher is ready to interrogate Lee again." She spun around and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

She quickly found Camille in the break room of the police station. "Camille, can you take me home?"

"Why?" she asked, eating a donut.

Kirsten crossed her arms. "I need a shower and we have time before Fisher talks to Sampson again."

Camille finished her donut. "Only if you tell me why you spent the night with Cameron last night, and do not say you were working on the case because I don't believe it."

Kirsten sighed. Camille wasn't going to let this go. "I had sex with Cameron. Can we go now?"

Camille gasped. "Tell me everything!"

Kirsten told her everything on the ride home, starting with the party and skipping over last night's details. Camille was grinning the entire time, and it was starting to make Kirsten uncomfortable.

After they got home, Kirsten showered and covered up the embarrassing mark on her neck with several layers of foundation and cover up, but it was still slightly visible if you looked hard enough.

She was sitting on the couch staring at the black TV, thinking about Cameron. What were they exactly? She said she didn't count sex as a first date, and she didn't. He asked her to dinner, so would that be their first date or second? They had kissed at his parent's party and pretended to date. Did she even want to be in a relationship with him?

The simple answer to that was yes. She felt things with Cameron that no one else even made her think about. It was like an adrenaline rush and a calming effect all at once, and it was intoxication. She didn't regret the previous night- only that it had ended so soon.

Her thoughts drifted to the case. Lee Sampson definitely killed Marcus Snow, but that didn't account for Lisa or Jason. He must have hired someone to do it, which explained the missing money. There was no way to prove that he hired someone unless she hacked his computer.

The thought gave her an idea, and she grabbed her laptop off the table and opened it up. Logging on, she was easily able to hack into Sampson financial records. It was easy to see the missing money, and everything else was in order, just like in the Stitch. She then opened his email.

"What are you doing?" Camille asked, coming to sit beside her.

"Hacking into Sampson's computer. The money is in order except for the missing blocks. But look at his email."

There were multiple emails from one Richard Goodkin, with the subject title of 'private'.


	14. Chapter 14

Kirsten clicked one open.

 _"The job is done."_ Was all it said, and it was a messaged received.

Kirsten glanced at Camille, who was scanning it closely. "Well this can mean only one thing."

"Richard Goodkin had something to do with this." Camille affirmed, looking sympathetic.

Kirsten clicked on another email. _"100,000 before, 100,000 after. Two people. Lisa Smith and Jason Sampson."_ This one was sent from Lee Sampson.

The reply: " _You understand why we have to do this? You did the right thing by coming to us."_

"Us? So more than one person did this." Kirsten said.

"It looks like it. But why did they have to do this?" Camille asked.

"I'm calling Fisher."

The ride to the lab was silent. Camille drove, and Kirsten thought about what she was going to tell Cameron. His father was involved pretty heavily with the murders of two people, and she knew that it was something that he was not going to take lightly.

Cameron was sitting at his desk when they entered the lab, and he got up immediately to greet them.

"Hey," he said, slightly nervous and she assumed he expected her to yell at him. "What's up?"

"Cameron," Kirsten started, glancing at Camille who then took the hint and walked away. "I hacked into Lee Sampson's computer."

"You know that's illegal, right?"

"I saw his emails," she said, ignoring him. "He had several from your father labeled 'private'."

"They work together, of course they talked. Where are you going with this?"

"Richard Goodkin knew about the murders. He was involved." The words came out in a rush, and his eyes widened.

"No way. My father is a class A douche, but he's not a murderer." Cameron said, taking a step back.

"The emails' made it clear that he was involved somehow. He probably had someone do it for him."

Cameron shook his head. "It has to be something else. That doesn't make any sense."

Kirsten took a step closer and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged it off, surprising her. Slightly hurt by the rejection, she went and sat behind Linus's desk and started typing. It was easier to hack into Lee's computer now than it was earlier; probably something to do with the quantum computer.

"Look." She clicked up several emails, and Cameron came over and leaned over her shoulder, propping himself up on the back of the chair and the table. Kirsten was momentarily distracted by his close proximity, but she pushed it aside.

Cameron scanned the emails, then hung his head. "It does look that way, doesn't it?" he mumbled.

"Cameron…" she turned and caught his eyes. "I already told Fisher. He's going to bring him in."

He sighed, then took a deep breath to collect himself. "Thank you for telling me."

"How could I hide something like this?" she asked.

He smiled slightly. "I know you wouldn't."

Cameron was pacing the observation room, and honestly it was driving Kirsten nuts. They had been waiting on Fisher for 10 minutes according to her phone, and Cameron hadn't stopped moving once.

"I should talk to him." Cameron said for the third time.

"You can't." she told him for the third time.

He lapsed into silence again, resuming his pace. Finally, Fisher came in and Cameron rushed to the window.

"My name's Detective Fisher. Do you know why you are here?"

"Lee Sampson was arrested for murder. I assume this is routine questioning?" Richard sounded bored.

"We found something of interest on his computer." Fisher threw the file onto the table.

Richard glanced at Fisher, then down to the file. He opened it and scanned its contents.

"I'll tell you everything if I can cut a deal."

Kirsten heard a sharp intake of breath next to her. She looked over, and he was as still as a statue, his fists clenched tightly to his side. She slipped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. He softened at her touch, unclenching his fists and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"It was an organization started in the 90's, right after my son was born." Richard said, leaning forward now. Cameron's arm tightened around her shoulders.

"I can't tell you who started it or who is in it, but I can tell you why we started it." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "The poverty rate was increasing, and the upper class was declining. The bloodlines were becoming…diluted. Our children were marrying street rats and prostitutes instead of those that were rich and had good standing."

"So you decided to kill them for not having the right pedigree?" Fisher asked, disgust obvious in his voice.

"At first we didn't. We were a committee, and we called them in to tell them to stop seeing them or else. But after a while we were forced to take more drastic measures. The kids weren't taking us seriously, or just running off and abandoning the family completely."

Cameron was barely breathing beside her. "I can't believe him." He whispered.

Kirsten's chest tightened at the emotion in his voice. She didn't know how to comfort him. She had lived with her own father's betrayal for so long that it no longer affected her like it was obviously affecting him.

"So Lee found out that Jason was seeing Lisa Smith and he contacted you about it?" Fisher asked, scribbling down notes on a legal pad.

Richard nodded. "He did the right thing."

"Are there any future targets?"

Richard scoffed. "Look at any upper class child dating or marrying lower class scum. I can't tell you exactly."

"Who does the killing?"

Richard leaned back in his chair. "I can tell you this: just because I'm gone doesn't mean that the group falls apart. I am but a cog in the machine."

Fisher sighed and stood up. "Call your lawyer."

Cameron was in a quiet rage for the rest of the day. His movements were snappy and unpredictable, and Kirsten decided after a few failed attempts at comforting him that it was better to just give him some space.

When Maggie said they could all go home, Cameron left immediately. He just left; no goodbyes or even a word to anyone else. Kirsten looked after him, a worried feeling growing in her chest.

"He'll be fine, K." Camille said, coming up behind her.

"I know, but…"

"Let's go home. You look exhausted." Camille said, heading towards the elevator.

Kirsten followed her, wondering if she should text Cameron and make sure he was okay. She ultimately decided against it for now. When they got home, she changed and got ready for bed even though it was only 6 o'clock. She really was exhausted.

She fell asleep around 8. It was a deep and dreamless sleep, and she almost didn't hear a person come into her room.

She snapped awake and sat up, glaring at the dark figure standing at her door.

"Easy, tiger. It's just me." Cameron's familiar voice said, and she let out a breath.

"You scared me," she said, relaxing a bit. "What's wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep. Camille let me in." he explained.

Kirsten shifted over and made room for him in the bed. He slid in easily, and she lay back down and snuggled into this side. Her head was lying on the crook of his shoulder with his arm wrapped around her. He was silent, and she almost fell back asleep.

"Kirsten?" he whispered.

She opened her eyes slowly. "What?"

"I was thinking about what Richard said today." His voice was hard, and she noticed that he said "Richard" and not "my father".

"And?" she stifled a yawn.

"I won't let anything happen to you." His arm tightened around her protectively.

"Why do you think that has something to do with what he said?"

"My parents think you work in the IT department, Kirsten. It's not exactly a paying job, even though it's not true."

Kirsten froze. She hadn't considered the fact that now that she and Cameron were together put her in the criteria for the mystery organization his father was part of.

"We'll be okay, Cameron." She whispered, and she desperately wanted to believe it. "Nothing's going to happen to me or you."

He pressed a kiss into her hair. "Life doesn't come with guarantees, princess." He whispered.

Kirsten tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to his lips. "But I do."

His lips curved upward slightly. "Alright," he replied. "Goodnight, Kirsten."

"'Night." She mumbled, already half asleep.

Fisher ended up being able to get Lee Sampson convicted of First Degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and he ended up with a life sentence. They still didn't know who was actually behind the killings, but Lee and Richard were a big part of the mystery organization.

Richard Goodkin was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and accessory to murder. He was sentenced to 25 years with the possibility of parole.

Cameron took Kirsten on their first date to a restaurant downtown, and there were many after that. Kirsten was happier than she ever remembered being. Cameron was a permanent fixture in her life, and she wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
